Mark 4:3-9

Mark 4:3-9

[3] Hearken;  Behold,  there went out  a sower  [4] And  it came to pass,  as  he sowed,  some  fell  by  the way side,  and  the fowls  came  and  it  up.  [5] some  fell  on  stony ground,  where  it had  not  much  earth;  and  immediately  it sprang up,  because  it had  no  depth  of earth:  [6] the sun  was up,  it was scorched;  and  because  it had  no  root,  it withered away.  [7] And  some  fell  among  thorns,  and  the thorns  grew up,  and  choked  it,  and  it yielded  no  fruit.  [8] And  other  fell  on  good  ground,  and  did yield  fruit  that sprang up  and  increased;  and  brought forth,  some  thirty,  and  some  sixty,  and  some  an hundred.  [9] And  He that hath  ears  to hear, 

What does Mark 4:3-9 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jesus introduced and concluded this parable with instructions that His hearers should give it careful consideration ( Mark 4:3; Mark 4:9, cf. Mark 4:23). Mark"s account of this parable is almost identical to Matthew"s. It is the only parable that Jesus spoke this day that all three synoptic evangelists recorded. Probably Jesus taught this parable many times during His ministry as an itinerant preacher, and the disciples were familiar with it. It is also a key parable because it introduced elements that recur in the other parables Jesus taught that day, such as the seed.
Rhoads and Michie suggested that "the interpretation of the seed falling on "rocky" ground suggests an opposite and ironic meaning of that name [1], unmistakably depicting Peter and the other disciples." [2]